Breathless

Juvia wandered aimlessly around the city with a heavy heart. She had just broken up with her boyfriend, and although she wouldn't say she loved him, still, she did like him. It kinda hurts how he ended it just like that.

He was her senior and was quite popular with the girls. At first, she had no idea why everybody seemed to find him so charming, he wasn't even that good-looking. It was only when they bumped into each other in the hallway that she understood- this guy was her prince charming!

She liked the way he smiled kindly at her without any prejudice, treating her the same way as he did with other girls. Everybody avoided her like a plague but he was the only one who didn't.

He wasn't scared away by the fact that she was a member of the most notorious, ehem, gang in the area. He could even talk to Gajeel, her brother, in a calm way, even with the latter's poisonous gaze and sarcastic remarks.

She thought she had found the one.

But she was utterly wrong.

"I thought being with you would be exciting, since you're a member of Phantom Lord. But you're just boring and uninteresting. We're over," was what he said, that… Bora!

Remembering his words, Juvia felt depressed again. Her brother had even warned her about him but she didn't listen.

In the end, he was right, Bora just really wanted to take advantage of her. When he couldn't get what he wanted, he left as fast as he could. She couldn't even find him for revenge since he had recently graduated.

Thinking about it, he might've planned it all, seeing how timely his escape was. If she knew this would happen, she wouldn't have stopped Gajeel from punching him that one time he got pissed. So frustrating.

Juvia sighed and looked around her. She found herself in the middle of a park, unable to recall how she got there. It was a wonder how she didn't bump into anyone or tripped herself over a rock or something as she had been spacing out.

She sat on a bench and observed the darkening sky. From her unprofessional standpoint, the rain was imminent, but she was too tired and sad to find a place that could shelter her from the inevitable downpour. So with a defiant snort, she leaned back comfortably and closed her eyes.

Juvia has a love and hate relationship with the rain. She hated how every time there was something miserable happening to her, it would rain. It always seemed like it was mocking her for her idiocy or her drama or whatever.

And yet, it was the only thing that would always be there when she was down. Within those cold water droplets that touched her skin were something warm that even the hottest shower couldn't make her feel.

Well, yes, she was fully aware it was a mere coincidence a rainfall would occur whenever she was upset. She wasn't a mage or a witch for her emotions to affect the weather, was she?

But she wanted to believe that somehow, the rain was connected to her. Or maybe she just wanted to hold onto the absurd idea that there was something in this world that only belongs to her.

Juvia sat there for a long time. She even fell asleep for a bit. If it weren't for the petrichor emanating from the grass, she would've thought she was at home.

Opening her eyes, she expected to see a field of rainwater falling into the ground. She was a bit dazed, clearly still half-asleep, because she could hear the drizzle, yet… she wasn't drenched. In her trance, she could discern a person standing near her.

Immediately, Juvia sat up straight and scanned the person in front of her. He was a particularly handsome guy in a uniform, quite tall and toned. He was staring down at her with his cold blue eyes, with an umbrella on his hand which was shielding herself and half of him from the rain.

She gaped at him, unable to react and understand what was going on. Who was this guy and why was he covering her with his umbrella? Most importantly… why was he so attractive?

His raven hair was spiky and a bit unruly but it added to his overall cold vibe. He might be on the rebellious side since the first three buttons of his uniform were open and she could see his underneath shirt and silver cross pendant. Or maybe he was just feeling hot and unbuttoned them after class? Whichever it was didn't matter, what mattered was his face, his face!

Juvia hadn't seen anyone this striking. Even the small scar above his left eye, which she could see with her exceptional vision, added some charm.

Is it even possible to be this handsome? So the world really has their own favorites!

For a moment, the world seemed to stop and Juvia forgot all about her woes.

"Hold it," he said, inching the umbrella towards her. Even his voice was pleasant to the ears. Wait, what did he say?

Juvia blinked back from her daydream and subconsciously accepted the umbrella. Her mouth opened to say something but nothing came out of it. Did she turn silly after seeing someone this handsome talking to her? She needed to get a grip! But before she could utter a single word, the guy turned his back and ran away.

W-w-what?

Juvia was at a loss. She got up from the bench, intending to run after him but she almost fell on the ground because of the puddles. She glanced incredulously at her feet before returning her eyes to his running figure which slowly disappeared from her sight.

She stood there staring at the place she had last seen him, thoroughly bewildered and enchanted. She had no idea how long she stayed in that same spot, her hand firmly holding the umbrella. There was this indescribable feeling in her chest that was bubbling up, making her face flustered and her knees weak.

After a while, Juvia realized the rain had stopped. Putting the umbrella down, Juvia gazed into the sky and instinctively squinted - blinded. Turning her back from the sun, she pried her eyes open again and a beautiful, translucent arc of splashing colors came into view.

It wasn't like she hasn't seen a rainbow in her life. But there was something special in this particular resplendent view that made her heart beat faster. Like a picture of hope, it hovers in the horizon after a pitter-patter of sorrow.

She gave the umbrella in her hand a sidelong glance, and a memory of the handsome guy surfaced in her mind. Had he not given her his umbrella, maybe she would still be sitting on the bench, fretting over her state of affairs. She would've been soaked and out of sorts, causing for her to miss this majestic view of a promise; a promise that in darkness, there is always light.

And for that, Juvia was extremely grateful.

"Juvia shouldn't have acted like an idiot. She didn't even say thank you… nor did she ask for his name," Juvia lamented.

Breathless with anticipation, she whispered, "Ah, Juvia wants to see him again."

Note: Yes, I suck at grammar and punctuation. I'm sorry, English isn't my first language and I'm bad at it. I tried, really. Thank you for reading!

You may also read this ontumblr!

PS: This is a continuous short story.